Channahon, IL — A local man from Morris, 19-year old Ryan Smith, was identified as the victim of Wednesday night’s fatal accident on I-55. Police said that Smith was killed along I-55 on Wednesday night (December 10, 2014) after his car was in an accident when a semi-truck allegedly cut him off.
Witnesses to the accident later reported that Smith had been driving north along I-55 that night at about 7:00 p.m. Near the Highway 6 overpass, a semi-truck apparently tried to change lanes in front of Smith, cutting him off the in the process.
Smith’s pickup truck was forced off the road and rolled over numerous times, ejecting Smith in the process. He critically injured and the semi-truck continued to drive away.
After Smith was taken to a nearby hospital, he was declared dead from his injuries. The police said they are still looking for that semi-truck and believe that it was following another trailer that evening.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
Folks, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a major highway and had an 18-wheeler or a semi-truck cut me off while trying to change lanes. In some cases, I’ve had to either slam on my brakes or accelerate to avoid getting smashed by these giant rigs. Whether they just didn’t see me or weren’t paying attention, it seems like a lot of truck drivers ought to double-check before they make a lane change. I’m guessing that some of my readers have had similar experiences.
Now, I didn’t share that just for fun, I’m going somewhere with it. Earlier this year, in West Texas, we litigated a case against an oilfield trucking company whose truck driver had run a car off the road and fled the scene. The driver tried to claim that he didn’t know any accident had occurred (since the oilfield truck didn’t actually hit our client’s car), but his actions afterward suggested otherwise. Luckily, someone followed the truck driver after witnessing the accident, but the truck driver tried to run them off the road as well!
My point here is that this truck driver knew he had done something wrong, but insisted that he had no idea. I really wouldn’t be surprised truck driver has a similar story. It’s just too easy for the truck driver in these situations to claim, “I didn’t see him there!” because there’s almost nobody to argue the claim since the other driver died.
In this accident, though, it sound like there were some witnesses. If they were willing to give their two-cent’s worth, that would go a long way in proving what really happened. Obviously, I could have the details all wrong here, but I suspect I don’t.
— Grossman Law Offices
